Lock & Load: Iron Kingdoms Character Primer A D20 System supplement from Privateer Press Rating: (4 ot of 5 hearts)

This book provides background information on the Iron Kingdoms campaign setting that lets us create character tailored for it.

We find here descriptions of twelve human ethnic backgrounds, each with some cultural notes and physical particularities. Humans are by far the most populous and dominant species. The book proposes some racial traits for each human subculture, as well as starting benefits and preferred classes. It is interesting to note that these ethnic groups are not delimited by the six kingdom's boundaries, which separates ethnicity from nationality in the Iron Kingdom. Each of the six Kingdoms is also briefly described in a sidebar.

The non-human races of the Iron Kingdom differ somewhat from the traditional D&D model. There are no gnomes, halflings or half-orcs, but there are dwarves and two kinds of elves. Half-elves are included, but they are extremely rare. The small races are replaced by the "Gobbers", which a kind of mixture of the two plus a strong goblinoid aspect. Two other races are included as PC races, the Trollkin and the Ogrun. Both of these races are big, physically powerful, the Ogrun being Large-Size and the Trollkin having faster healing as well as some regeneration capabilities. In the Iron Kingdoms, there isn't as big a difference between the lifespans of the different races. The Nyss (Winter) elves are the longest lived and reach venerable age at 220, while the dwarves do so at 120.

Each of the character classes are described in terms of the way they operate in the Iron Kingdoms, and what it means to be a member of that class. Most classes are almost identical to those of the Player's Handbook and have a few minor adjustments, such as a few skills added to their class skills. The book provides background information such as most likely culture or kingdom of origin, organizations/orders and typical role in society. Some classes are modified to a greater extent; both arcane and divine spellcasters see some spells restricted from play, such as miracle, wish and true resurection. Because outsiders do not take the same place in this campaign setting, the elemental domains of clerics (water, fire, etc.) have different granted powers that make them quite interesting. Clerics of the Iron Kingdom's religions have different little bonuses according to their faith, as do lay worshippers to a lesser extent. The ranger class is the most different one and doesn't have spells. Instead they have bonus feats and a Favored Terrain ability that grant them bonuses when they fight on those terrains which they favor.

I found the religions of the Iron Kingdom very interesting. Most of humanity worships the same god, Morrow, a god of good, healing, knowledge and war amongst other things, who more or less recently supplanted Menoth, the giver of law, a strict god that purportedly shaped humanity. Where Morrow is humane and benevolent, Menoth's more ancient doctrine is harsh and unforgiving. Morrow has a twin sister, Thamar, who is evil where he is good and who's worship is a lot less popular. Both Morrow and Thamar have a "pantheon" of saints, called ascendants in the case of Morrow and Scions in the case of Thamar. These subaltern deities confer patronage on worshippers, and most adepts of either faith also choose an ascendant or Scion as patron. A newer goddess called Cyriss rules over the secrets of mechanisms, mathematics and the laws of science. An ancient divinity that is Menoth the lawgiver's old enemy is The Devourer Wurm, a beast of shapeless chaos worshipped mostly amongst the barbarians. The more monstrous demi-humans worship a life-mother called Dhunia who's faith includes belief in reincarnation. The elves and dwarves have their own gods. The elves' gods and goddesses seem to be almost all dead, disappeared or at least dying or in poor condition. The dwarves worship the Great Fathers, the legendary progenitors of the dwarven race.

A particular characteristic of the Iron Kingdoms is its inclusion of the mekanical element. This element is not expressed as the more usual polarity between science and magic; rather science and mekanica are strongly associated with magic. For example, the gunpowder of the Iron Kingdoms is a magical product.

Which leads me into the equipment section of the book which includes firearms. Firearms are very rare and costly break-action weapons of renaissance esthetic. They operate somewhat like powerful crossbows and necessitate skill and time to reload. It seems that they would work like this: Pow! Pow! "Charge!".

Like the Monsternomicon, this book is admirably well made with very few errors. It provides a nice introduction to the setting and I am sure it will still be a useful character generating resource once the Iron Kingdoms Campaign Guide is out, even if a lot if not most of the material will have to be repeated in it. The color map of Western Immoren (the Iron Kingdoms) included with this book is indeed very beautiful, well detailed and precise. At the time of writing the Iron Campaign Guide is not available yet, but I am really looking forward to it.

Visit the Iron Kingdoms website.